Car-coupling



S. B. NICKUM.

Car-Coupling.`

No. 228,834. Patented June 15,1880.

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UNITED STATES ATENT @tirreno SYLVANIS B. NICKUM, OF JALAPA, INDIANA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 228,834, dated June 15, 1880.

Application filed October 2.7, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SYLVANIS B. NICKUM, of Jalapa, in the county ot' Grant and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference heilig had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specitication, and in which- Figure lis a longitudinal vertical section of two drawheads embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of one of the said draw-heads on line a'. Fig. 3 is a plan or top view of the same, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the couplingpin detached from the draw-head.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the gures.

This invention has relation to automatic couplings, or that class of car-couplings in which the coupling is effected automatically by the insertion of the link into the draw-head; and it consists in the detailed construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, A Aare the draw-heads, the front end of each of which has a funnel or bell shaped mouth, a a, which opens up into a verc tical channel, b, dovetailed in cross-section, back of which is another recess, c, the lower end of which is curved, diverging rearwardly from the vertical front recess, b, as shown at c in Fig. 1.

C is a lever, which is curved at its lower end to conform to the curvature of the recess c c',

into which it is inserted, the said recess being of sufficient width to allow lever C, which is fulcrnmed at its lower end, at d, to play forward and backward, so as to allow its upper end to project into the recess b.

B is the coupling-pin, which is made with a laterally-proj ectin g guide-block, e, that fits into the dovetailed recess b. A chain, rod, or cord, f, is secured upon the upper projecting end of pin B, whichreaches np to the platform or top of the car, by means of which the pin is raised when it is desired to release the link and uncouple the cars.

own gravityr fall forward into the recess b under block e, which, resting-upon it, as shown in dotted lines in the draw-head to the right in Fig. l, prevents the pin from falling down until, by the insertion of the link D, lever C is pushed back into its own recess cc', which releases block e, and allows this, with the pin, to fall down through the link into the position shown in full lines in Fig. ,1, the vertical recess I) being made with a stop or shoulder, b', upon which block e impinges, and which prevents the pin from falling down too far. When in this locked or coupled position the curved lever C will lean forward, resting against the rear end of the stop or guide-block c, so as to intervene between it and the rear part of the chambered draw-head, as clearly shown iu Fig. 1, thus holding the pin firmly and steadily in position by occupying the empty space back of it, while at the same time no unlocking arrangement'of said lever kis necessary, but it is pushed back out ofthe Way by the simple ac ot' raising the coupling pin or bolt.

It will also be seen that in its coupled position the dovetailed block or projection c of bolt B rests upon the link so as to bear this down against the lower shoulder, a', of therecess, so that each end of the link is, as it were, locked between block e, lever C, and shoulder a' of its respective draw-head, thus preventing undue jar and rattling, which wear the link, pin, and draw-head.

The top of the recesses b c is covered by a removable cap, E, -so that access may readily be had to lever C and pin B for the purpose of oilingthese when desired, or for other purposes.

It will further be observed that the shape of the mouth a of the draw-head is such that the link will, by its iiaring sides, be guided into the recess b, in which the coupling-pin works, so that this coupling may be used with cars of unequal height and with a straight or curved link. No springs or weights are used,

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and it follows that this coupling is not, as most of its class7 liable to get out of order. Another advantage is that its parts are so few and simple that it can be manufactured at a small cost, so that it can be applied upon box and freight cars as well as upon passengercars.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United StatesrBhe combination7 with the draw-head A, havin g tapering recess or inlet a, shouldered at a', and vertical dovetailed channel b, shouldered at b and bifurcated at c c', and couplingpin B, inserted into said Vertical shouldered SYLVANIS B. NICKUM. Witnesses:

JOHN C. CoNNER, MARTIN B. HUDSON. 

